One thing we can do to support all writers, is to be intentional in the topics and story ideas we use as models and mentors. Modeling a wide range of stories and ideas can help each of your writers be inspired.
Category: idea notebooks
The Idea Book: A Tool To Help Kids Live Like Writers
It's never too early to instill writerly habits. A class idea book will inspire kids to collect seeds for writing everywhere they go (and much, much more!).
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Mentoring: Peace, Locomotion
My colleague and next-door-classroom-neighbor Leanna and I were eating and grading writer's notebooks together at lunchtime today. I got to the second notebook in my stack and said, "She's gotta be kidding me!" "What?" Leana asked. "She wrote me," I stopped feeling something between annoyance and anger, "letters." I have this thing about writer's notebooks… Continue reading Mentoring: Peace, Locomotion
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Reading Notebooks
Katie asked: How often do you collect and look at notebooks or are you doing it as you conference with students? I rarely read through a student's notebook during a Writing Conference. The reason is that I want to use the conference time to talk with them about their writing, what they're working on at… Continue reading Reading Notebooks
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Just what are the kids writing in those notebooks?
Mrs. V. left the following comment yesterday: "Thanks for your details. Could you tell me more about their idea notebook nightly assignment? What are the requirements and how do you assess it? Also, about how much time in class are you able to spend on writing per week?" My students have the same writing homework… Continue reading Just what are the kids writing in those notebooks?
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From the Notebook to a Final Copy
Yesterday, Katie left the following comment: Stacey is there a post or can you post your process for students' writing. What I mean is where do they draft, what do you collect and look at etc. I see them drafting a lot in their notebooks, do they draft there and then move to final draft… Continue reading From the Notebook to a Final Copy
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Gearing Up for the Classroom Part of the Slice of Life Story Challenge
Are you planning to host a Slice of Life Story Challenge (SOLSC) in your classroom during the month of March? If so, here are some basic tools to launch it this-coming Sunday, 3/1/09. #1) Send home an announcement about the SOLSC this week. Here's an example of the one I'm sending home, which looks a… Continue reading Gearing Up for the Classroom Part of the Slice of Life Story Challenge
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Progress in the Writing Circle
Remember that group of kids I wrote about who I decided to take upstairs for weekly lunches on Tuesdays? Well, the five of us didn't meet last week because the entire class watched the Inauguration instead. Hence, we met, after being "away from each other" for two weeks. (They're in my class, but we haven't… Continue reading Progress in the Writing Circle
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The Power of a Good List
Naomi Leon keeps lists. Lots of them. However, she's not real. Our students are real and quite frankly need to be taught the power in keeping lists. Over at my classroom blog, I'm suggesting that my students keep a variety of ongoing lists in their Idea Notebooks. Hence, if and when they get stuck for… Continue reading The Power of a Good List
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Unwrapping Literacy
We've been using Slide a lot around here lately! So, here's yet another Slide Show of the writing event that unfolded in my classroom today.
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Five-Subject Writer’s Notebooks
My students will be getting idea notebooks early in the school year. By late September, they'll also possess five-subject writer's notebooks, which they'll use expressly for units of study. (Click here to read more about idea notebooks.) Hence, I spent the early hours of my morning affixing tips, poems, section guides, and notebook 'guidelines' to… Continue reading Five-Subject Writer’s Notebooks
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They’re Going to Have Gifts To Open…
These are the Moleskine Notebooks that I'm giving my students during the first week of school to use for on-the-go writing, Slice of Life Stories, ephemera, and much more. IDEA NOTEBOOK INTERIOR DECORATION & WRAPPING: Just like last year, I'll provide the kids with stickers to decorate the front (and back) cover of their notebooks.… Continue reading They’re Going to Have Gifts To Open…
TWO WRITING TEACHERS 